LEGAZPI CITY (16 Jan. 2012) – The Purple campaign expressing support for Chief Justice Renato Corona failed to gather steam among judges and court employees in the 13 Regional and City Trial Court branches in the second district of Albay.

Court hearings in the 10 RTC branches and three Municipal and City Trial Courts went normally on Monday.

RTC Judge Pedro Soriao, RTC Branch 5 presiding judge and concurrent executive judge of Albay, in an interview on Monday, said his office had not receive from the Philippine Association of Court Employees (PACE) any communication enjoining employees and judges of various trial courts here to join the Purple Campaign designed to express support to CJ Corona.

He said that he believed on the “Freedom of Expression,” so every employees under the court have their rights to express their personal feeling about the impeachment trial CJ Corona is facing.

Soriao said “the battle field is right now in the hands of the Senate and not in the Supreme Court.”

Lawyer Jaime Anonuevo, Jr., assistant Clerk of Court said that 189 court employees and thirteen judges have mixed feeling about the impeachment trial.

He said some were silent about their personal opinion on the matter saying “let’s wait for the outcome”, while other says that the impeachment process is on the right track, “SJ Coronacshould face it.”

Asked about the Purple Campaign, Anonuevo pointed out that there was no big deal about the purple color since this is the official color of the courts under the Supreme Court.(PNA)